Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander Accidentally Kicked in the Head by Modo Teammate

Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander Accidentally Kicked in the Head

Toronto Maple Leafs  2014 first round draft pick William Nylander was accidentally kicked in the head during a Swedish Hockey League game, according to multiple reports.

Uffe Bodin of hockeysverige.se, a Swedish hockey website, as well as James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reported the news via Twitter.

The injury itself was a scary, freak accident that saw Nylander’s Modo teammate’s skate clip him in the back of the head following a face-off scrum.

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; William Nylander puts on a team sweater after being selected as the number eight overall pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nylander would leave the game and not return. You can see video of the incident here.

Thankfully Nylander was not cut on the play. But there is still the worry that he could have suffered a concussion from the incident. However, Leafs assistant general manager Kyle Dubas said that Nylander left the game for precautionary reasons and the severity of his condition is still unknown.

Nylander, the Leafs’ eighth overall selection in June, was one of the final cuts during training camp and was sent back overseas to play in the Swedish Elite League. In 13 games with Modo, he has recorded 14 points, scoring five goals and nine assists.

Health permitting, Nylander is expected to be a key component of the Swedish junior team at the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships in Montreal and Toronto after Christmas.

If able to play, all eyes will be on Nylander as Sweden plays all of their preliminary-round games in Toronto.